A senior Teignbridge councillor who viciously attacked his wife with a wooden mallet has been jailed for three years.

Douglas Hellier Laing, 69, hit Susan Laing three times on the head during a ‘moment of madness’ brought about by their tense domestic situation and his consumption of Tia Maria.

Mrs Laing said she thought she was going to die during the bloody attack but managed to escape the family home they shared and raise the alarm with neighbours.

Hellier Laing, who announced that he had resigned from Teignbridge District Council earlier this week, waited calmly for the police to arrive at his home, cleared up the blood, and admitted he lost control.

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Judge Cottle said: “This is indeed a tragic case. You and the victim were living together in the same house but leading separate lives whilst the divorce proceedings were continuing – never an ideal situation and sometimes a very difficult one.

“It’s not really clear why you did what you did on the day in question. Obviously there was an atmosphere of tension and unhappiness in the house.

“You had certainly been drinking. I would have thought drink must have had something to do with why you reacted and if sober you would have reacted in a different way.”

The incident happened on October 29.

Prosecutor Rachel Drake said the couple were separated at the time of the offence and divorcing but still sharing a house together.

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Mrs Laing fell backwards and was hit again by her husband. She managed to kick out saying ‘I’ve got to go and get my mother’. She managed to get to her feet and ran outside, convinced her husband would follow and continue the attack.

But Laing remained in the house and even called 999 to admit what he had done.

He told them: “I used a weapon, a wooden mallet. I’ll explain when they come.”

Cllr Douglas Laing in Fore Street, Chudleigh (Image: Andy Styles)

Mrs Laing ran to her neighbours, Laura Scales and Alan Black, who described seeing her covered in blood with a ‘pulsing’ wound to her head.

Mr Black went to see Laing and found him calmly mopping up blood in the house. Laing told him: I was so angry I hit her. I haven’t done myself any favours there.”

Mrs Laing suffered three wounds to her head and needed stitches. Her doctor says it will take six months before she is physically better.

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He added: “The upshot is there is very considerable mitigation available to you and its right somebody of your position should be able to call upon, not just his good character, but his impeccable character. So I’m going to discount significantly the sentence that might well be appropriate here.”

Cllr Doug Hellier Laing

Hellier Laing formally resigned from Teignbridge District Council earlier this week.

But at the time of the attack, the Conservative politician was the economy, skills and tourism portfolio holder for the council and a member of the ruling executive, as well as being a councillor for the Chudleigh ward.

He had been suspended from the Conservative Party while the legal proceedings are undertaken.

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Hellier Laing, of Clifford Street, Chudleigh, was jailed for three years for the offence of wounding with intent

A Teignbridge District Council spokesman told DevonLive.com: “Teignbridge District Council received a letter from Doug Hellier Laing on Monday where he wrote that he was resigning from the council with immediate effect.

“Arrangements are now being made for a by-election to be held.”

It is understood that no reason for his resignation was given in the letter.